Drowning
by LeightAiden777
Summary: Memories of a past life are never supposed to be remembered. But when the Mangekyo damages his psyche Sasuke suddenly remembers another life where his current one was part of a fictional story. Warning: Reincarnation, Semi Self-Insert, Yaoi (Slash, Boy X Boy)
1. Prologue

**Section: Naruto  
Title: Drowning  
Genre: Angst, Romance  
Pairing: Naruto X Sasuke  
Summary: Memories of a past life and never supposed to be remembered. But when the Mangekyo damaged his psyche Sasuke suddenly remembers another life where his current one was part of a fictional story.  
Warning: Reincarnation, Semi Self-Insert, Yaoi (Slash, Boy X Boy…)**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Admittedly no one could have seen this coming. To begin with, reincarnation was not really a belief popular among ninjas who preferred to believe that when they died for their village or clan they would not be reborn to start all over again or worst as the enemy. So it came to no surprise that when those memories assaulted his mind he was more than disbelieving and confused. Two sets of memories battled in his mind as he tried to comprehend his situation and to situate himself.

He remembered his brother – _warm, loving, betrayalbetrayal, fear… mother! Father!_ – but he also remembered the distinct feeling of his life flushing out of him – _it should be her! Her! Not he! He was not a!_ \- as he laid in his bed that night. He was Uchiha Sasuke, eight years old, son, brother, ninja in training, but he was also Annabella Steward, twenty-nine years old, wife professional cook… cancer patient.

It was awfully confusing. So it was a good thing that he was still induced in a coma when his memories crashed into his mind like a buffalo.

When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was the white nondescript ceiling in front of him. He remained unmoving, eyes blinking as his mind flared disjointedly. To his left he could hear the familiar cacophony of the village – _no, no, not familiar_ – and sunlight streamed in, lightening up the shadows of the room.

With one last slow blink of the eyes, he sat up and looked around. A hospital room. He was in a hospital room. To his right, he could hear the click click click of heels as people moved through the hallway. Almost unconsciously, his eyes fell on his hands clutching the white sheets in his lap; they were small and so pale – _too small, too pale_ – and callouses had begun to develop – _they were supposed to be soft with long fingers and tanned skin not small, pale and pudgy_. As if in a daze, he brought his right hand up to his face and stared some more before his other hand came up and pinched the skin. Yes, this was his alright.

Then his attention suddenly snapped back to the hallway, the hallway where two women had suddenly started talking.

 _Massacre._

 _Brother_

 _Uchiha._

 _Only one survivor._

He flinched involuntarily, mind flashing to a dark district, his parents' bloody corpses and his brother attacking him.

No. no. no. that was not true.

Parents? What parents? Those were not his parents! His parents were an old couple who live in a small cottage in the countryside. They were not young ninjas at the head of a whole clan.

No, wait. They were. They were and he had a brother. A brother who ended up killing everyone.

… brother? Itachi. Yes, his name was Itachi. Uchiha Itachi. His warm, loving brother. His brother his father adored and preferred. His brother who _killed_ everyone.

Itachi. Itachi. Uchiha Itachi… he did not exist. He was not real. He was just a fictional character from a manga he had read when he was really young. He remembered the theatrical jutsus, the death, the destruction, _the war_.

But – but that was not possible. He was still young! He was only eight. He was young and his brother as real! Itachi was real! And he had _killed_ everyone.

Yes, Itachi was real. The pain he had felt was real. Itachi was real. It was all real. But – but why was he remembering those strange things. He – he – he was not crazy. He knew he was not crazy. There was no way. And Itachi was real and he had _KILLED EVERYONE_!

That – that – that liar! That – that faker!

But – but -…. No. A coup d'état. Yes. Yes. There was a coup d'état. The Uchiha. They were planning to overthrow the village. And – and Itachi was to kill everyone.

No. no… that was not possible. Not mother. Not father.

His small hands came up and fisted his short black hair – _it was not supposed to be like this! It was long and blond! Not short and black! –_ and he… _screamed_.

* * *

 **AN: Just an idea I had and I have no clue what to do with this. Should I continue or, well, just give up? Yes, I should be working on my other stories and I am, so don't worry about _that_. **

**Er, leave behind a review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Title: Drowning  
Genre: Angst, Romance  
Pairing: Naruto X Sasuke  
Summary: Memories of a past life are never supposed to be remembered. But when the Mangekyo damages his psyche Sasuke suddenly remembers another life where his current one was part of a fictional story.  
Warning: Reincarnation, Semi Self-Insert, Yaoi (Boy X Boy, Slash…)**

 _ **EXCEPTIONAL WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER**_ **: This chapter turns out to be darker than I thought it would be when I started it. Well, it turns out that a story including a child who has just witnessed his whole family being murdered can be pretty dark.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

It was a couple of days after his episode in the hospital that had ended with him being sedated and watched carefully by the nurses, Sasuke was finally allowed to go back home. Home… Home… _What_ home? There was no one there anymore. He was the only one left and it was all Itachi's fault!

…Or was it?

Thousands of questions flew through his mind even as he left the hospital, even as he walked through the crowded streets of the village, faced with the pitying stared of the villagers – annoying – annoying – annoying – but he could not bring himself to face them. He was confused and being stuck in the hospital with nothing to do except think, Sasuke found himself even more confused. He could not think about them though. He just knew he would be faced with a massive mental breakdown the moment he decided to address them.

What was true? What could be true? Did truth even exist? What did truth even _mean_ anymore?

So silently, quietly, Sasuke made his way through the streets of Konoha to what remained of his clan compound. He ignored the pitying stares, the wary stares, the accusing stares, the fearful stares – _he was not crazy! Not Crazy! He was not going to turn out a murdering psychopath like Itachi so StOp LoOkInG aT hIm LiKe ThAt!_ – He ignored them all just like he ignored his own feelings of annoyance, irritation, anger and slight hatred as they continued to look at him like he was a bomb just waiting to explode.

He ignored them until he crossed the entrance of his Clan Compound, having to duck under yellow tape to enter, and was faced with what was once a place that would bring him joy. Now he was faced only with the empty feeling and deep loss that seized his heart as no one shot him smiles or greetings or light teasing like he was used to. Kimiko-baasan was not there in front of her house carefully picking out weeds from her front garden, cousin Torue and cousin Hanami were not bickering like an old married couple near the dango shop, Minako-chan and the other children were not playing in Sato-jisan's back garden. Everything was quiet… and empty. No one was there anymore. They were all gone.

Numb and feeling slightly detached at this realisation, Sasuke continued on his way to his house where he opened the door quietly, removed his shoes and padded to his room. He closed the door behind him and with the curtains closed, the room was completely dark. Silently, he climbed onto his bed and curled up under the covers.

Why was he the only one alive? Why did Itachi do that? He should have killed him too; it would have been better and less painful.

He loved him! Itachi _loved_ him!

 _No, he did not! He was a traitor and a betrayer! He killed everyone! Kaa-san! Tou-san!_

But he was ordered to do it! The clan was planning a coup d'état.

 _What –? No! They would not! They would never_ do _that! How would he know anyway!?_

It was all in the manga he read when he was young. He knew all about it. It was all just a story!

 _He was Uchiha Sasuke! There was no way for him to know that!_

He was not! He – _She_ – was Annabella Steward! Not – not some child playing murderous-soldier-in-training in a world completely _screwed_ over!

It was not real! _It was not real!_

It WaS nOt ReAl!

Sasuke let out a scream as his fingers dug into his scalp, questions and illogical thoughts running through his mind. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" With another scream, he flung himself from his bed and stumbled over where he kept his training kunai. Before he knew what he was doing, his small fingers wrapped around a kunai tightly and _stabbed_ his forearm. The pain froze him for a moment, the kunai falling from his limp, trembling fingers but remained ignored as his wide eyes stared at the red, _red_ blood flowing from the wound on his arm. He blinked. "Oh."

A hysterical laugh bubbled up from his throat and he fell on his side, small hand clutching at the wounded limb.

"It's real…" the whisper fell from his lips. "It's real. I'm real. I'm…"

* * *

He needed to do grocery shopping soon, he thought as he frowned at the nearly empty refrigerator in front of him. All that remained were a couple of eggs, a half-empty carton of milk and the leftovers of last night's dinner. (Kaa-san would never have let the food stock to get into such a state – _She would not have been able to make lasagna with the limited ingredients in the house either, disregarding the fact that it was not exactly a dish known around here_ –  ShUt Up.)

With a resigned sigh, Sasuke took the eggs and went to make himself some breakfast to start the day. He had been able to segregate himself away in his house for three days now during which he spent the whole days either sitting in his room and frowning at the wall, laying curled on his parents' bed or standing in front of _his_ room and frowning at _his_ door. Well, so long as he did not need the bathroom or he was spending time in the kitchen, exploring the different types of food he could create with limited ingredients. He had been able to avoid the rest of the village but he did not think that would be possible anymore, except if he wanted to die of starvation or for the Hokage to send shinobi to check up on him; after all the last loyal Uchiha could not die just yet, right? Not before being useful, he though with a sarcastic tilt of the lips.

With another sigh, Sasuke resigned himself to having to leave the compound at last. Three days might be a little much to remain inside but he had not been able to cross the threshold and go outside. He had not even been able to go to his backyard so the rest of the village was something else entirely. Maybe it was time for him to get some fresh air. At this rate he would only drive himself crazy – or crazier than he already was; memories of another life was not exactly _normal_ after all.

Sasuke was not looking forward to being at the receiving end of the villagers' looks again. The first time had been bad enough but he needed to get out or he _was_ going to become stir crazy.

After one breakfast that he could not help dragging out till the last minute, Sasuke slipped on his shoes and spent a whole half an hour staring at the closed front door indecisively.

Then he suddenly let out an annoyed huff and crossed over to the door. _'Stop being such a coward. You're an adult dammit. Not some green-behind-the-ears little brat.'_ He stubbornly stifled the indignant part of him that affirmed that he was in fact still a child.

He left the quiet compound and made his way to the market place, ignoring the looks he was getting from the rest of the villagers as he walked among them. He obstinately kept his head held high and the scowl that just itched to make its appearance away from his face. It seemed to take even longer for him to finish grocery shopping. He kept getting side-tracked by strangers expressing their condolences and how they 'were there for him if he needed them' and that 'he could ask for their help whenever and however he wanted'. It was annoying and grated on his nerves. He could not wait until he was done and could go back to the compound.

He was finally making his was back with three bags of groceries in hands when he a slight commotion to his left made him pause. A familiar blond boy came running, followed by three angry villagers yelling insults at the obnoxiously laughing boy. Sasuke blinked slowly twice before he pointedly looked away and continued on his way. Only one thought ran through his mind.

' _Uzumaki Naruto. Deadlast. Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, Kurama. Son of the Fourth Hokage. Annoying pest. Future Hokage.'_

* * *

He went back to training the same day he went grocery shopping. His annoyance at the villagers and his reception amongst them fueled him as he went through well-practiced katas. He spent the whole day until late at night training until his muscles strained and he felt exhaustion weighting him down. The next three days he did the same, stopping only to eat and use the bathroom.

On the fourth day he went to his clan's library and spent the day looking through numerous scrolls on jutsu. The next two days were spent with his time divided equally between training and reading through his clan's library.

He found three large summoning scrolls deep in a hidden room under his house: the Crows, the Hawks and the Cats. He kept them untouched but went around them to the other scrolls behind them about numerous fire jutsus.

* * *

His return to the academy was even more annoying than he had expected. He had been hoping for an anticlimactic turn of events even after everything that had happened but obviously that had all been wishful thinking. Sasuke left his house early, even earlier than he used to and arrived before any of the other students. Iruka was there to greet him with a kind smile, one that Sasuke found himself reluctantly comforted by. It was not pitying like the rest of the villagers but merely comforting. Not condescending. Not holding fake affected.

Yet, at the same time Sasuke found himself absolutely hating it.

* * *

The children were annoying. Sasuke found that he seemed to find a lot of things annoying these days. He stood by his point though; the children were annoying. The moment each of them entered the classroom, they would stop to stare at him and then whisper among themselves. It was ridiculous the way they thought he could not hear what they were saying. He heard every word, saw every pitying stare and it made him _angry_. They did not know anything; they did not know what it was like to watch his own family die over and over again and by his own brother, the one person he had admire and loved above everyone else. They did not know the betrayal that seized his heart, the doubts running through his mind… or the knowledge that drowned his soul.

No, they did not know and he hated them for that.

* * *

His life went along as a routine for a long while after that. He would wake up early, train, prepare for the day, and have breakfast before leaving for the academy. There he would best his peers in all subjects like always and at the end of the day he would return home for more training. It was easy for him to seclude himself away from the rest of the village, his mind focusing on only one thing; he needed to be stronger.

( _But why? I don't want to kill_ him _._

No. I don't.

 _Then why this overwhelming need to be stronger?_

I… I don't want to be as helpless any more. I… don't want to lose any more people I love only because I was too _weak_.

What _people? They are all dead._

… Itachi.

 _He_ killed _everyone!_

But he did not want to!

 _Are you sure? Am I sure?... Are we sure?_

… No.)

It was lonely though. He was used to having people around him, people to talk with, to play with… to love. Now they were all gone and Sasuke found himself abandoned and lost. He had no one to comfort him when he had a nightmare, to cuddle with him when he felt lonely, to train with him and show him new techniques.

What a lonely and depressing existence.

… He wanted to die too.

* * *

Sasuke decided that he needed to have a goal to strive for. He refused to remain in his depressing state any longer; it hurt too much and he refused to take the easy way out. He was no coward. He needed a goal, something to distract him from his depressing thoughts. However, it was not as easy as he thought it would be to find one.

He did not care much for anything. He did not care for the village so becoming a strong shinobi to bring honour to the village was a moot point. He could try but he would get annoyed and bored along the way. His family was dead so he could not exactly strive to make them proud when they would not even see it. And he also had no wish in looking for vengeance. It was what _he_ wanted and Sasuke was not going to give _him_ that satisfaction.

He did not know the truth behind the massacre but he had his doubts. It was a little too far-fetched to believe the knowledge in his mind, those memories. However, it would also be stupid to dismiss them only because it all seemed so fantastical.

Maybe he should find out _what_ the truth was then. He could try to be strong, not for vengeance, not to kill Itachi… but to _beat_ the truth out of him if he needed to. If Itachi had truly massacred the clan by his own volition, then Sasuke would kill him. If not… If not, then Sasuke would still beat him to a pulp for leaving Sasuke behind like that, for making him _suffer_. And then he would hug the hell out of him and never let him go even if he had to leave behind the village and commit treason.

Because Itachi was his brother; he was _family_.

And Sasuke would do anything for the remaining member of his family.

 _He would get revenge._

* * *

It would seem that whatever might happen, Uchiha Sasuke would remain Uchiha Sasuke. But he was also Annabella Steward and Annabella Steward was a stubborn woman. A stubborn woman who had a bone to pick.

' _Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.'_

* * *

 **AN: Last quote by W** **illiam Congreve.**

 **Thank you all or reading. It was even more depressing than I first thought but I find that I actually like writing as Sasuke. Or as this Sasuke anyway. You'll find that he will be pretty much out of character though I will try to keep some of his characteristics since while he is someone else, he is still Sasuke.**

 **Oh, by the way, I received one _very_ interesting review.**

"g.o.d chapter 1 . Apr 13, 2016

Kill yourself, disgusting delusional pathetic virgin fag."

 **Yep. You guys saw right.**

 **Well, first of all, to this person who proclaimed himself 'god', this simple fact is blaspheme. One of the ten Commandments is "You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain." So really, _that_ was pathetic.**

 **Second, do you believe yourself to know God enough to _ask someone to kill himself/herself_ in HIS name _because of your own bigoted thoughts?_**

 **Third, there is a warning at the beginning of the story for a reason, moron.**

 **And fourth? Calling someone a "disgusting delusional pathetic virgin fag"? Seriously? Now, _that_ 's pathetic. And awfully childish. How old are you? Five? Wow. Just wow. People these days.**

 **To everyone else, sorry about my ranting but I really needed to get that off my chest. And also a polite request that if you have something similar to say, please refrain as I accept only constructive criticism from my readers. And I'm not going to kill my 'disgusting-delusional-pathetic-virgin-fag' self just because someone asked. I'm most likely going to get a good laugh out of this absurdity actually. I love my writing and I'm not going to stop because a small minority found offense in what I do. Besides, I know that my usual readers have no problem.**

 **On another note, as you can see in the story, Sasuke still fights between being simply Sasuke and Annabella. There are also moments where he seems normal or having accepted the memories, but that's not exactly true. My point here is that the mental conflict that occurred in the prologue is something that will stay for a little while. Sasuke is still in shock and his actions so far are more his way of not engaging with everything. He will of course eventually accept his memories but for now he is just... dealing, I guess.**

 **Anyway! Thanks for reading and leave behind a review and tell me your thoughts.**

 **Leight**


	3. Chapter 2

**Title: Drowning  
Genre: Angst, Romance  
Pairing: Naruto X Sasuke  
Summary: Memories of a past life are never supposed to be remembered. But when the Mangekyo damages his psyche Sasuke suddenly remembers another life where his current one was part of a fictional story.  
Warning: Reincarnation, Semi Self-Insert, Yaoi (Boy X Boy, Slash…)**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

This… was an awfully cruel thing to do.

The thought filtered through his mind but Sasuke chose to ignore it. He had a plan. It was immoral but he would do anything for his family, even if it meant playing with a little girl's feelings.

Oh, you must be wondering what this was all about. No, Sasuke was not pretending to like one of his fangirls. It… was much more complicated than that.

He noticed her during a _taijutsu_ lesson. The students were pitched against each other for a spar on that day. He was already done with his spar, having fought against Naruto and won like it had become the norm. He was among the other students, watching the spars going on and on when she had walk up to the front, small shoulders hunched over slightly and fingers almost completely hidden by her large jacket twiddling nervously.

It took him a moment to place a name to her but it was her colourless eyes with a hint of lavender that cued him in: Hyuuga Hinata. She looked like an unassuming little girl of only seven or eight, one who could be knocked off her feet by a little breeze. While a part of him scoffed at her another part remembered another version of that tiny little girl who had stood up to an S-ranked shinobi and nearly died, all for the one boy she loved. Sure, it was a pretty pathetic way to die yet at the same time, it took strength to face death and fear and not falter from one's conviction.

 _(He remembered another little girl who had admired her and wished to be just like her. He remembered the woman the little girl grew up to be and he found himself_ hating _her.)_

Hinata did not win her fight, but Sasuke thought that might be because she was not even trying and that disgusted him. She just stood there with a frightened look on her face and when her spar started she shakily took her stance… and lost. Her opponent was not even that strong, just another one of the class' fangirls. She should be ashamed; she was the heir of one of the great clans of the village and yet she was nothing like what an heir should be like. Sasuke would know; he had grown up under his brother's shadow after all.

It annoyed him. She annoyed him. Yet, a plan formed in his mind.

He would do anything for his family. Even if it meant playing with a little girl's feelings.

* * *

Usually he trained in his clan's training grounds which were always empty since there was no one else to use them but him. However, on that day, he needed a larger training ground for what he had planned; he had found a very interesting scroll in his cousin Shisui's belongings and what it contained peeked Sasuke's interests. He was going to try the _Shunshin no jutsu_. He would have tried it back at the compound, except, he needed more space.

He arrived at one of the training grounds academy students were allowed access an hour after the end of classes. He had spent that hour making himself a snack to bring and grabbing the notes he had made on the _Shunshin no Jutsu_. When he arrived he had not expected to find the little Hyuuga girl hitting a wooden post with all her might. For a moment Sasuke could only stare before a thought ran through his mind.

"Hey," he called after a moment. The girl let out a comical squeak and whirled around in surprise, her face as red as it always was and her eyes wide and freaky. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her flustered look before he dismissed it from his mind. "You're that Hyuuga girl from my class right?" he asked before she could say anything or find a way to run away – she seemed the type.

She blinked. "A-Ah, Ha-ai!" There was a brief moment of silence before she actually got the courage to ask what was on her mind. "A-ano, c-can I h-help you, Sa-Sasuk-ke-san?" She fidgeted uncomfortably as Sasuke stared at her. Then he let out a snort, making her jump.

 _A skittish girl, that one._

And pathetic.

 _She is pretty adorable though._

He let out a derisive snort.

"You," he finally said. "I want to fight you."

"M-M-m-me?" her voice came out as a high-pitched squeak.

"Do you see anyone else around here?" he drawled, a slight mocking edge slipping into his voice before he could help himself.

"B-B-bu-u-ut w-why would y-you –?"

"I need a training partner and you seem as good as any." After a moment of her remaining quiet, Sasuke scowled. "Look if you don't want to just say so and I'll find someone else. Don't waste my time."

She seemed to shrink in on herself, her shoulders shaking as she lowered her head. Sasuke sighed. Well, there went his plan. With a disappointed sigh, he turned around and decided to find another training ground so that he could train. However, before he had even taken another step forward, a small voice behind him made him stop.

"W-wait!" Turning around he found the little Hyuuga girl looking up at him with a determined face though still red and trembling. "I-I'll do it!" And then her courage seemed to leave her and she lowered her head again, poking her fingers together nervously, her voice becoming quieter and quieter as she continued. "B-But I-I won't be a g-great training p-partner…"

Sasuke smirked. "Let me be the judge of that."

* * *

An hour later after a small impromptu spar, the two sat down to cool down. Sasuke had spent the whole hour trying to gouge her fighting and only ended up thrashing her into the ground again and again. He had come to one conclusion.

"Yeah, that was pretty pathetic." He finally said after a long moment of silence. From the corner of his eyes he could see the little mousy girl shrink in on herself. He wanted to roll his eyes. " _But_ you've got potential to be a good training partner." Sasuke almost smirked as he saw her head snap up to stare at him in both disbelief and slight wonder. "Come on. Let's do that again and this time, don't be afraid to _hurt_ me."

* * *

He might have gone at it a little harshly but it was not in his nature to be soft. _(Annabella was)_. Either way, he got himself a training partner and if he did not screw it up later, he might even get himself the backing of the next most powerful clan in Konoha after the Uchiha. Though Hinata was still pathetic, she was still the heir of the Hyuuga. If he got her attached to him, he could use her and her connections later on in life. Besides, the girl was far less annoying than the other girls in class; not only was she usually quiet as a mouse, she was also obsessed with that idiot Naruto, so there was no way for her to suddenly turn into another fangirl.

There was also the fact that he knew that she had the potential to be strong if only she actually tried; so long as he encouraged her, he might get himself a decent training partner. The boys in class would not do as they either hated him because he got all the girls' attention – not that he _wanted_ them anyway – or they were pretty pathetic, even worse than Hinata. Either way, he would find some use for the Hyuuga girl.

A part of him thought that what he was doing was unnecessarily cruel but another part of him also did not care. The only thought that ran through his mind was _ItachiItachiItachi_ …

* * *

The two of them were not friends but they did meet occasionally when Hinata did not have training with her Clan. He still had not been able to complete the _Shunshin no Jutsu_ after that day and it turned out to be even more difficult to learn than he had expected. Instead, he decided to concentrate on what he already knew, namely _Shurikenjutsu_ , his _taijutsu_ and he tried to learn more fire _jutsu_. There was not much else he could do without guidance.

Hinata turned out to be actually quite a decent training partner, once she got confident enough to actually _try_ , that was. That girl got _issues_ and it took a lot of patience on Sasuke's part to encourage her to take their training seriously. No, wait, that was wrong; she did take their training seriously but she was so unsure, insecure and meek that it _seemed_ like she did not take it seriously. However, a whole year after they started sparring together she did not hesitate as much as she used to when they were facing each other. Outside of training though she was still the same shy, stuttering Hinata who Sasuke just wanted to shake in frustration.

Sasuke was not exactly the type to be soft and more than once he made her cry during their first months together. He had no idea why she actually stuck around for their training though and came back for more each and every time but he was not one to take a gift horse in the mouth. In the end, it took them a while to be able to work well together, or at least well enough that he did not make her burst into tears and she did not make him want to kill something with her constant hesitation and stuttering. More than once he was reminded of how young they both were; they were still children and a part of him was horrified each time he made her cry because he was either yelling at her or throwing his frustrations at her.

Yet, she was not bad company… and she even made the loneliness he had been feeling since _then_ a little less poignant.

* * *

One day, after they had finished training and were sitting down in the training ground, cooling down, Sasuke was fingering his hair thinking about getting a haircut since his hair had gotten quite longer than he had ever kept it – it was still as spiky as always but now it was longer though thankfully nothing like Itachi's long straight hair – when a flustered Hinata thrust a small package at him. For a moment he was completely still, surprised and confused, not knowing what he was supposed to do before the manners his mother had painstakingly taught him kicked in and he accepted the package, though quite hesitantly.

"What… is this?"

Hinata flushed and looked down, her fingers poking at each other as she replied quietly, "I-It's for your birthday," she explained softly, her cheeks reddening even more as each word left her mouth. Meanwhile, Sasuke's rose and rose and rose until it disappeared under his hair. "A-And as a thank-you for y-your help. Father said that I have been i-improving last week. S-S-So, thank you and ha-ha-happy birthday!" In a sudden move, she bowed to him from where she was sitting.

Sasuke stared back at her, mind refusing to process what had happened. He stared at her, at the package in his hands, and then back at her where she was still bowed. How was he supposed to react to that? He… had forgotten his own birthday – intentionally since this time around there was no one to celebrate with him and it only reminded him of what he had lost – and this mousy little girl not only knew but actually bothered to get him something. Confused in how he was supposed to feel, he hesitantly tightened his grip around the package in his hand.

A pause. A beat. And then he finally opened his mouth. "Thank you," he replied the words leaving his lips awkwardly. He felt more like it was his manners that his mother had pain-painstakingly instilled in him that was replying to this unexpected development.

Everything he had done since _that_ fateful night had been for his own benefit, to either avenge his clan or find the truth of his existence. And yet there she was, that tiny little girl with rosy cheeks and wide innocent eyes, thanking him for something he had been doing for his own selfish reasons. And despite himself, Sasuke felt a small curl of warmth spreading through his chest.

Before he knew what he was doing, his hand rose… and he poked that bowed forehead… just like his own brother used to do with him. And as Hinata jerked upright in surprise and bewilderment, her lavender eyes gazing at him in wide-eyed confusion, he could not help the tiny little curl at the corner of his lips.

Well, damn. He had gotten attached.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke appeared at the academy with brand new white arm warmers. His fangirls ooh'ed and aah'ed at him, complimenting him on his new 'fashion statement' but for once he did not let their hysterics bother him. The warmth in his chest from the previous day had yet to fade even though he was feeling more than a little apprehensive about getting attached to someone. However, right at that moment he did not care.

He felt a little less like it was him against the world.

* * *

At the back of the class, a tiny girl with short hair and lavender eyes flushed and looked down at her desk, a little unnoticeable smile curling at her lips.

* * *

 **AN: So we don't see much of the two personalities clashing. This is mostly because at this stage, Sasuke is at the level where he is practically trying not to _actually_ deal with it, turning his attention towards training with a single-minded determination. It looks almost like he has accepted his dual memories but, yeah, no. Hinata's role is going to be actually pretty important in Sasuke's life. But anyway, no spoilers I guess.**

 **I hope you like it.**

 **Leave behind a review and tell me your thoughts.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Leight**


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